Background
Twitter is committed to providing an inclusive and enjoyable experience for all users. Currently, emojis, while popular for expressing emotions and reactions, pose challenges for users who rely on alt text and screen readers. The project aims to address this issue by introducing sound effects to enhance the user experience and challenge the existing interpretation of emojis for users with accessibility needs.
Team
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2 Designers
Role
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User research
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User experience design
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UI/ Visual design
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Usability testing
Time
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3 months
Goal
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To create a better way for people of all abilities to express themselves and communicate on twitter.
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Use sound effects to enhance the fun of the user experience
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To challenge the current interpretation that emojis convey when using alt text and screen readers.
Why Emojis
Emotional Expression:
Emojis provide a vivid way to express emotions and feelings, compensating for the limitations of plain text.
Visual Appeal:
Emojis enhance content readability and capture user attention, making user interfaces more visually engaging.
Simplicity and Speed:
Emojis simplify communication by conveying messages with a single symbol, especially valuable for efficient exchanges, particularly on mobile devices.
Cultural and Social Resonance:
Emojis serve as a universal language, facilitating communication across language and cultural barriers.
Emojis have introduced convenience and enjoyment to the general user base in online social interactions
Pros and Cons: The Impact of Emojis on Accessibility for Visually Impaired Users
Enhanced Emotional Expression:
Emojis enrich emotional expression through a visual medium, allowing users to convey a broader range of emotions and feelings.
Assistive Descriptions:
aiding visually impaired users in understanding the meaning and context of emojis.
Facilitated Social Interaction:
Emojis are widely used in social media and communication apps, enabling visually impaired users to better engage in online social interactions and communicate with others.
Advantages
Lack of Text Descriptions:
Certain emojis may lack clear text descriptions, making it difficult for visually impaired users to understand their specific meanings and leading to incomplete information.
Diversity and Consistency:
Emojis may appear differently on various platforms and devices, resulting in inconsistent interpretations and potential confusion for users.
Complexity:
Some applications and platforms offer a vast array of emoji options, which can be overwhelming for visually impaired users when making selections
Disadvantages
Competitor Applications
Focusing: How does emoji works on the different apps in the room without adding computational stress to the application?
Finds
Only a few apps can use emoji with sound effects
A limited number of emoji can be played with sound, and most of them appear in messages.
Lack ease of expression
Lily helped us decide how we want to prioritize making connections with peers.
Irene helped us understand how professionals use twitter for the lastest trends and technology.
Design Goal
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Improved Accessibility:
Enhance Twitter's accessibility for visually impaired individuals through alternative interpretations.
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Enhanced User Expression:
Enable all users, regardless of abilities, to express themselves more vividly using sound effects.
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Challenging Emoji Interpretation:
Innovatively address limitations in interpreting emojis with alt text and screen readers.
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User Customization:
Provide customization options for adjusting sound effect volume and frequency.
To enhance the Twitter emoji experience and improve the communication capabilities for users of all abilities by introducing sound effects.
How might we...
User Flow
Low-fi
Injects fun by introducing animations and vibration feedback, making emojis more lively. It provides users with a richer and more expressive way to communicate.
Enhancing Enjoyment
-The emoji with sounds and vibration frequencies
-Work on all the tweets / messages/ reply tweets
Sound Effects & Emoji animation
Increasing Convenience
In the existing Twitter app, there is no emoji option.
(The choice of emoji is based on the phone's system keyboard).
Before
After
Adding the “emoji” and “favorite” icons, the users can choice emoji into their replies.
"Frequently used":
Quickly find frequently used emojis.
To simplify the editing process by offering users options for frequently used and favorited emojis, making it easier to find their preferred emojis. This saves time and effort.
Choose your Emoji
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Users can choose emoji according to their preferences.
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Four emoji in one column: clearer, know the specific details of emoji.
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Save screen reading time of screen reader
Improving Accessibility
If users type one emoji it will be animated VS if there are multiple then it will not be animated
Notification Dialog:
The first time used emoji feature on twitter with the emoji animation introduction
To simplify content editing and enhance accessibility for all users, including those relying on assistive technologies
Boosting Personalization
Users can make 'personalized emoji' with their own voice
- Add sounds and vibration frequencies
Users can express themselves more personally by customizing individual emojis with features like voice recordings, vibration feedback, and animations. This highlights the unique personalities and emotions of users.
Customize the number of vibration feedback
Thoughts
As a UX designer, I've come to appreciate the paramount importance of user experience design. Our role extends beyond aesthetics and functionality to establish emotional connections with users while ensuring accessibility.
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Emotional Resonance and Loyalty:
UX design goes beyond looks and features; it fosters emotional connections. Using sound and animations, we evoke emotional resonance, enhancing user loyalty.
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Accessibility is Vital:
Focusing on visually impaired users, I've learned to seamlessly integrate accessibility features, making the product accessible to all.
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Research is Key:
Comprehensive research is foundational. Understanding user needs and challenges guides design work to meet user expectations.
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Continuous Improvement:
Project completion isn't the end. User feedback and accessibility testing drive ongoing improvement. I've learned to use feedback to enhance product quality and usability.
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Accessibility Labels and Descriptions:
Add clear text descriptions to every emoji for accurate understanding by screen reader users.
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Configurability of Sound Effects:
Provide configurable sound options, including volume and sound type, for user customization.
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Customization of Vibration Feedback:
Allow users to customize vibration feedback intensity and duration to meet their sensory needs.
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User Training：
Create educational resources, such as videos and documentation, to help users understand and utilize accessibility features.
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User & Accessibility Testing and Feedback:
Conduct accessibility testing for consistent usability across devices and platforms, and encourage user feedback for continuous improvement."
This would also allow more personalized expression since visuals can be contextualized differently based on culture.
